Dainese in honour of its 40th anniversary, has launched “Dainese 40″, a free app for iPad and iPhone as a Christmas gift, to celebrate its history of protection with all motorcycle enthusiasts.

In its Vicenza headquarters lies an historic room, the Dainese leather archive. The archive holds leather suits dating back to Dainese’s earliest days of development right up to the present day. Most will never see this room, but now thanks to the dedicated app, its digital doors will open.

The app will give motorcycle fans the chance to look back over Dainese’s impressive history and see its evolution of protection over the years. From the first back protector and knee slider to the present and Dainese’s pioneering D-air® Racing airbag suit. Race enthusiasts can also check out the suits of the motorcycling legends that Dainese has protected over its 40-year history, including Agostini, Sheene, Roberts, Schwantz, Rossi and many, many more.

The app for iPad is now available for free on iTunes, while for iPhone users the app will be available very soon.

Dainese’s interview with Valentino Rossi in their Legends digital online magazine earlier this week, caused a major uproar amongst fans who took umbrage against Rossi’s words regarding the 2008 Laguna Seca GP where he was quoted as saying, “Stoner started to hate me just because he lost. After that, he always seemed to talk about the past, this race [Laguna], because he wasn’t man enough to understand that at that time, he lost!”

Even the now retired Casey Stoner felt the need to respond to Rossi’s words - that were picked up and splattered across almost every racing website and forum - and he wrote on his Twitter account: “I think Valentino feels a little more brave now that I’m not there :)”

Following all the backlash, Dainese issued the following statement yesterday evening, trying to play peacemaker:

Considering the exaggerated echo of an article about the career of Valentino Rossi, we would like to highlight that the words published in the latest issue of the Dainese Legends magazine have been taken out from an old interview and consequently reported out of the original context. We wish to apologize for all the polemic comments that neither Valentino nor Dainese ever wanted to instigate.

Have you ever wondered what helmet manufacturer’s AGV name actually stands for? It’s the acronym for Amisano Gino Valenza.

Gino Amisano was the founder of AGV helmets and he started his company just after the Second World War in 1946, in the town of Valenza in the Piedmont region in Italy.

Amisano died three years ago and the city of Valenza will be holding a special exhibition in collaboration with his heirs and Dainese, (who bought the company in 2007) to pay tribute to the man who started making helmets in basement, to later become one the most important helmet manufacturers in the world and his lids would protect the heads of legendary riders like Giacomo Agostini, Kenny Roberts and Valentino Rossi.

AGV started with just one employee producing bicycle helmets and seats for Vespas and Lambrettas, but in 1947 began making handmade motorcycle helmets from leather and cowhide and manufacturering just five a week, but his business began to slowly take off with the production of the first fiberglass lid in 1954, and Amisano would become known as the ‘King of Helmet Makers’.

AGV’s story will be told through a series of vintage photographs along with the helmets belonging to the dozens of champions who donned this extraordinary brand, and will be on dispay at the Valentino Palace in Valenza from December 16 to January 13, 2013.

The inauguration will be held at the Social Theatre of Valencia, with a meeting entitled “I remember when Gino …” with stories, anecdotes from people who knew and worked with “Ginetto”, who was also funded Dr. Claudio Costa’s first Clinica Mobile, but he also owned a vineyard and was President of the Alessandria Football Club.

The limited-edition 2013 Guy Martin calendar is now available in Dainese stores and at the online Dainese DStore for 15 euros. The calendar, created by the superb John Hancox, contains hand drawn pictures illustrating the passion and the life of this much loved English Isle of Man TT rider.

Inside the calendar is an original autographed photo of Guy Martin as well as ‘Skull and Spanner’ stickers and a voucher for €20 or £20 that can be used in the online Dainese DStore until June 30, 2013, and those who buy the calendar online at guymartinracing.co.uk or dainese.com will be automatically entered in a Christmas draw - December 21st 2012 - that will be awarding fantastic prizes including an AGV K3 Guy Martin replica helmet and a Dainese Razon Leather jacket.

In addition, for every copy of the calendar sold, 50 cents will be donated to Spinal Research.

Dainese received over 5000 questions on their facebook page and official website for Valentino Rossi and over 50% of the fans that tuned in to watch the live streaming where from outside of Italy, which shows that the former World Champion is still a big name despite a horrible 2011 season with Ducati.

While we translated the first part of the video when it was posted on YouTube, Dainese and AGV have decided to translate the whole 30 minute Q&A session in English with a voice-over so that saved us (whew!) from doing the rest of it.

For those of you who missed Valentino Rossi streaming live webcast on Dainese.com yesterday afternoon (like myself), here’s part one of the video where Valentino answered a selection of fans’ questions that came from over 75 countries. Since Rossi answers all the questions in Italian, we’ve translated his answers:

When will you return and give us the same emotions that you used to with your fantastic passing moves and your drifts:

Soon I hope. This year was difficult and we didn’t have fun. I hope to be competitive in MotoGP. Next year we have a lot of things to try and verify on the new Ducati. Our objective is to be competitive straight off and see during the season what we can do.

Asked what which actor he would have liked to be and in which film:

Dan Akroyd in Blues Brothers next to Belushi, it’s my favourite film.

Continue reading: Valentino Rossi Live Dainese - part 1 (video)

Ever wanted to the opportunity to ask Valentino Rossi a question, maybe something that’s been bugging you or something you’ve wanted to know that sports journos haven’t asked him (besides why can’t you ride the Ducati like Stoner did, when do expect to win again and when are you going to retire)?

You can get a chance now thanks to Dainese and AGV who want to celebrate Christmas in a special way and are organizing a worldwide livestream with the MotoGP champion on Wednesday December 21st at 4 P.M. CET who will answer questions from fans from all over the world.

You can submit your questions on Dainese’s website here or on their Facebook page here starting today until December 18th.

This video interview from Dainese was probably filmed during Nicky Hayden’s appearance at the Dainese and AGV Press Day at the D-Store in Costa Mesa, California, in earlier this year, before the start of the season.

Hayden talks about how important his riding gear is, Dainese’s D-Air leathers, the GP11 tweaks and team mate Valentino Rossi. Too bad that the interviewer doesn’t remember that Ducati HQ is in Bologna and Dainese is located in Vicenza.

Jorge Lorenzo may have left Dainese for Alpinestars, but the Italian company will sponsor not only Nicky Hayden, but also Leon Haslam.

We obviously missed the fact (shame on us) that the BMW rider during the Eastern Creek test had given up his Spidi sponsored leathers to don Dainese leathers, boots and gloves and protections.

Haslam’s leathers are fitted with D-Air technology, which has helped ward off couple of broken shoulders and collarbones, including a certain Marco Simoncelli who spent a lot of time crashing rather than riding at the beginning of last season.

Leon Haslam:

“I’m very happy to be rejoining Dainese. Having visited the Dainese headquarters it’s clear that the heritage of motorcycle racing and safety protection is synonymous with the Dainese name. I’m also very much looking forward to having the D-Air technology - I just hope I don’t need it! The technical guys at Dainese are excellent and the suits I’ve tried so far are extremely practical, lightweight and - following my small crash at Cartagena two weeks ago - offer the necessary protection. I hope with Dainese, BMW and my other partners that we are also all celebrating success at the end of the 2011 World Superbike Championship.”

Jorge Lorenzo may have complained that he wasn’t getting enough attention from Dainese, thus sparking his move to Alpinestars, but newcomer to the other Italian brand, Nicky Hayden, is already going through motions during the Dainese and AGV Press Day at the D-Store in Costa Mesa, California.

Apparently the Kentucky Kid not only did the ritual photoshoot modeling Dainese’s newest line of motorcycle gear and casuals, but he also strutted his stuff on a small runway, prompting the journalists present to say that he has a career in modelling when he retires, but hey, we’ve already said the same things after seeing him in the Tissot ads and posing in fashion clothes for Mens Vogue.

Continue reading: Nicky Hayden cool on the race track, hot modelling Dainese